The Twins

For Vaughan Brookfield, the last few months have been a rollercoaster of emotions - anxiety, helplessness, joy, fear, gratitude, and hope.

“I used my camera to document this journey, like a therapy that was a way to take my mind off the big decisions and the reality that we faced.”

The night he and his wife Emma rushed to Invercargill Hospital was when their world changed. Emma was 22 weeks pregnant and they found out only weeks earlier that they were expecting twins. They have a 15-month-old daughter Hazel, and the prospect of two more babies was unexpected and daunting for them. They rushed to hospital because Emma’s waters had broken — not a good sign so early in a pregnancy.

Starting that night they spent over three months away from their home, living in hospitals or motels close to hospitals. They talked with doctors and worked through some of the hardest decisions they would ever have to make in their lives.

These images by Vaughan Brookfield are a reflection of the peaceful moments between the craziness of just having experienced the birth of premature twins.

Vaughan Brookfield

Still waters run deep with down-to-earth New Zealand-based location and lifestyle photographer Vaughan Brookfield. Over the years, his accomplishments include assignments that have had his images featured in publications and corporate and advertising campaigns all around the globe. With a solid early grounding in publishing and marketing as a Photo Editor and Senior Photographer for Australasian publications, Vaughan approaches briefs with clarity and understanding of each client’s needs. His calmness also enables talent of all ages to drop their guard and earn his trust. This, and a unique ability for quietly observed imagery where the beauty feels infused with atmospheric drama, makes his work stand out.

An ongoing affinity with nature has also inspired him to open conversations about our relationship with our natural world and the impact we have on it. One such project, The Nameless, is an art collaboration where he and lighting/sound expert Tom Lynch ventured deep into the Tasman Glacier at night to capture images projected onto vast ice walls that symbolize the fragility of nature under the burden of climate change.

“Whether it’s landscapes, portraits, or lifestyle campaigns, I never tire of taking photographs of the natural world and our participation in it. Not only is it a glorious and ever-changing workspace, but this vast playground feeds my creativity and nurtures my soul. To capture its power is my way of giving back.”